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French team used satellite data to show that glaciers in part of the Karakoram range, to the west of the Himalayan region, are putting on mass.
The reason is unclear, as glaciers in other parts of the Himalayas are losing mass – which also is the global trend.
The region's glaciers are poorly studied, yet provide a vital water source for more than a billion people.
The response of Himalayan glaciers to global warming has been a hot topic ever since the 2007 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which contained the erroneous claim that ice from most of the region could disappear by 2035.
Although often regarded as part of the Himalayas, the Karakoram range is technically a separate chain that includes K2, the world's second-highest peak.
Much of the region is inaccessible, and there has been a general recognition that observations need to be stepped up in order to clarify what is going on.
The method has been used before in other mountain ranges, but it is not as straightforward as it might sound.
"It's not been used more because these elevation models are quite difficult to acquire – you need clear sky conditions and reduced snow cover," said lead researcher Julie Gardelle.
Other factors that can change the height of the ice surface, other than changes to the ice itself, also need to be accounted for.
Having done all these calculations, the team found that between 1999 and 2008 the mass of the glaciers in this 5,615 sq km (2,168 sq miles) region of the Karakoram increased marginally, although there were wide variations between individual glaciers.
Foggy picture
Why this should be is not clear, though it is well known from studies in other parts of the world that climate change can cause extra precipitation into cold regions which, if they are cold enough, gets added to the existing mass of ice.
Some data came from the Satellite pour l'Observation de la Terre (Spot) mission "We don't really know the reason," Ms Gardelle told BBC News.
"Right now we believe that it could be due to a very specific regional climate over Karakoram because there have been meteorological measurements showing increased winter precipitation; but that's just a guess at this stage."
Whatever the region, it is clear that the trend contrasts with other parts of the wider Himalayas-Hindu Kush region, home to an estimated 210 million people and where glaciers act as fresh water stores for about 1.3 billion living in river basins below.
Late last year, the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (Icimod) released data showing that across 10 regularly studied glaciers, the rate of ice loss had doubled since the 1980s.
However, it also made clear just how sparse data is from the region, finding only these 10 intensively studied glaciers among a total of more than 54,000.
Measurements by the GRACE satellite mission, which detects minuscule variations in the Earth's gravitational pull, have also shown a net loss of mass across the whole region.
Graham Cogley, the scientist from Trent University in Ontario, Canada, who first publicly questioned the IPCC's 2035 figure, comments in Nature that reconciling the different mass loss figures found by different methods of study "will keep glaciologists busy for some time".


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No one can blame Gareth Edwards for admittedly feeling nervous when asked to helm a remake of the biggest monster movie of all time. Sure, the only other film he had directed happened to be 2010's "Monsters." But this time, it was Godzilla.
Well, the latest iteration of the 60-year-old franchise is in capable hands. Edwards' "Godzilla" is a pleasingly paced 3-D spectacle that pays chilling homage to the artful legacy of the original 1954 film — Ishiro Honda's "Gojira" — while emerging as its own prodigious monster movie.
Created as a symbol of the nuclear threat following America's atomic attacks on Japan in World War II, Godzilla's reappearance suggests the nuclear tests conducted by the U.S. in the Pacific after the war were really meant to hold the radioactive dinosaur back.
This story begins in Japan in 1999 as nuclear physicist Joe Brody (Bryan Cranston, edgy in an unbearable wig) investigates questionable seismic activity at the Janjira nuclear power plant.
When a team at the plant, including his scientist wife, Sandra (an underused Juliette Binoche), dies in what everyone believes is a natural disaster, Joe dedicates his life to proving that what caused the devastation was anything but natural. His obsession creates a rift between himself and his son, Ford.
Fifteen years later, we catch up with Ford (played by a placid but sexy Aaron Taylor-Johnson) in San Francisco, where he lives with his wife (Elizabeth Olsen) and their son.
Serving in the U.S. Navy, Ford disarms bombs, a skill that later helps him save the planet from MUTOs — "Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism" — that emerge from a long dormancy and begin traveling the globe, feeding on radiation.
Screenwriter Max Borenstein, working from a story by Dave Callaham, doesn't bombard us with multiple narratives or a multitude of characters (Ken Watanabe and Sally Hawkins play scientists, and David Strathairn plays an admiral).
Instead, the film focuses on Ford's family story, which Borenstein takes his time developing. When we finally see Godzilla — just shy of an hour into the film — the anticipation has built to such a degree that we expect to be awe-struck. And we are.
The tallest of any Godzillas before him, this one stands 355 feet high — about 30 stories — with glistening, scaly skin and dorsal fin spikes down his back. His terrifying yet textured roar shakes the theater.
Aiming for a realistic take on how we might react to an invasion by giant creatures, Edwards makes sure our view of them rarely shifts from the human perspective.
Honoring the eerie music of the original, this film's score by Alexandre Desplat ("Argo") is equally menacing, rich with horns that complement the consistently serious tone of the movie.
In the original film, made using stop-motion photography, an actor stomped around a miniature Tokyo in a latex suit. But in the hands of visual effects guru Jim Rygiel ("The Lord of the Rings" franchise), the contemporary take looks incredibly fluid and Godzilla's movements appear far more natural.
But we're not bombarded with excessive CGI here. Godzilla isn't oversold, although for some, his lack of screentime won't be satisfying enough. However, the balance between the family-focused story line and intense action sequences is bound to please others.
A threat to the planet in the '50s version, Godzilla isn't out to take the world down this time. He's here to be its hero and his massive showdown — fiery radioactive breath and all — against the MUTOs is the highlight. He's more than a catastrophic beast and we're on his side when he swims off into the sunset.
While the predictable sequel has not yet been confirmed, one thing is clear: Edwards' version of "Godzilla" remains the ultimate monster movie. The legacy has been upheld.
"Godzilla," a Warner Bros. release, is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for "intense sequences of destruction, mayhem and creature violence. Running time: 123 minutes. Three stars out of four.
MPAA rating definition for PG-13: Parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
Follow Jessica Herndon on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/SomeKind

subset: commoncrawl


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Create a Website Account - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more.
The for-profit ISPs require a defined return on their investment (ROI) over a prescribed period of time. In the rural areas, where population densities are lower, the ROI takes too long to satisfy their shareholders.
Show All Answers
There are 5 basic steps to build a broadband fiber network from scratch. It can be expected to take several years from start to finish.
The BBTF has complete steps 1 and 2. Once funding is secured, it can be estimated to take another 3-5 years to fully complete the project.
Depending on the PFSA boundary, the project budget is estimated to range from $30M-$66M. The funding is expected to be a public private partnership; a blend of federal/state grant dollars, private investors and possibly a millage.
Funding mechanism not allowed for this type of project
Yes. That Township would then be responsible for all 5 steps of the process.
Possibly. Remember that taxable value increases are limited by the Headlee Amendment. The SEV is a different number and tracks with the market value of a property. Property taxes are calculated on the taxable value within the constraints of the Headlee amendment.
It depends on the financing and rate structure. If property owners pool their money to fund the project, the per investor cost will vary. If a millage is approved, the cost will be determined by taxable property value, reflected in the rate structure, the length of the millage and the interest rate on the bond to be paid off.
In Lyndon Township (2020), a resident can choose from 3 unlimited fiber internet plans; ranging from 25 Mbps @ $34.95/month to 1 Gps @ $69.95/month. http://www.lyndonbroadband.org/faq/# + millage
In Sharon Township (2017), it was estimated that the monthly cost for the average property owner ($77,000 taxable value) would be under $100 ($35 for unlimited high-speed broadband plus approximately $45 per month for the millage.)
The Lyndon Township broadband web site features a comprehensive list.
Two techniques were used to survey the 15 townships.
We're working on it! The polarized partisan nature of Michigan's legislature and the Congress makes consensus challenging at this time. The political will of our elected officials, will determine the direction of future public policy and funding.
Resource: Community Broadband Access Framework http://www.mbcoop.org/resources-2


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William Gladstone tried all he could to help Ireland and Gladstone's name is frequently mentioned in Irish history from the 1880's to Gladstone's retirement from politics in 1894. Home Rule and the issues surrounding it was central to Gladstone's Irish policy.
The Great Famine had deeply impacted British politics. The 1 million deaths and the 1 million emigrants who left Ireland – some on so-called 'coffin ships' – had left their mark. In 1858, the Fenian Society was started in America. In Ireland, Fenians committed acts of violence to bring attention to their grievances. Those who wanted issues resolved in a constitutional manner formed a Home Rule party in 1870. The introduction of the secret ballot in 1872, allowed those who could vote in Ireland to vote free from intimidation by landlords. As a result, from 1872 onwards, there were usually about 80 Irish MP's in Westminster who were committed to home rule. These Irish MP's always had the hope that a Tory or Liberal government would be elected on a very small majority and would need to support of the Irish MP's to stay in power.
What were the grievances of the Irish MP's?
Politically, they could not accept British domination of the island. However, it would be wrong to assume that all MP's resented the position Britain had in Ireland.
The privileged position of the protestant Church of Ireland in a predominantly catholic country did cause resentment.
The abuses committed by many landlords was also a major cause of resentment.
In 1868, Gladstone became Prime Minister for the first time. He declared that it was his mission to "pacify Ireland". Gladstone was a man who held strong religious views but he was not a bigot. He was driven by what he considered to be right and wrong and he viewed that many things in Ireland were wrong. Therefore, he set himself the task of righting those things he considered to be wrong.
In his 1868 to 1874 government, Gladstone disestablished the Church of Ireland. This meant that Catholic farmers no longer had to pay tithes to the Church. Gladstone also pushed through the first Irish Land Act. This meant that any farmer who had been evicted but had done improvements to his land, was entitled to compensation. This law barely had any impact in Ireland as the landlords and the legal system in Ireland were seemingly interlinked, with the latter supporting the former. Also very few farmers could afford to pay a lawyer to represent them if they had a claim against a former landlord. However, the land law was symbolic that someone in the highest authority was doing something for Ireland, and any measure could be built on.
Trouble continued on the land in Ireland when Gladstone started his second ministry in 1880. Violence against landlords or their agents was becoming more common as support for the Fenians grew. Whilst Gladstone wanted to work for Ireland, he was not willing to tolerate violence. As a result, he brought in the Coercion Act for Ireland which temporarily suspended Habeas Corpus so that those people suspected of committing an offence could be detained without trial. However, Gladstone's ministry also passed a second Irish land Act which guaranteed the 'Three F's': fixity of tenure, fair rents and free sale. The Coercion Act did not stop the disorder in Ireland's rural community, but the second Land Act was seen as a way forward which could reduce the violence being experienced in Ireland. The faith Gladstone put in his acts was blown away by the Phoenix Park murders of 1882.
Up until 1882, violence had been perpetrated against landlords, their agents or against Irish families that had taken up land from which a family had been evicted. Politicians were not seen as targets. The murder of Lord Cavendish (Chief Secretary of Ireland) and T Burke (Permanent Under-Secretary of Ireland) in Phoenix Park by a gang armed with knives, shocked Victorian society. The murders were a blow to Gladstone who was trying to persuade not only his party but also Parliament to persevere with reforms for Ireland. He expanded the legal powers that the police had in Ireland but at the same time passed an act (the Arrears Act) which meant that any tenant with a total annual rent of under £30, no longer had to pay rent arrears if they had any. This was one way Gladstone tried to stop the flood of evictions that Ireland was experiencing after Europe was hit by an agricultural depression in the 1870's and 1880's.
Gladstone's third ministry was from 1886. Gladstone had made it public knowledge that he supported Home Rule for Ireland, and, as a result, got the political backing of the Irish MP's in the House of Commons who had temporarily gone over to the side of the Tory Party who had promised to repeal coercion laws introduced by Gladstone in Ireland. By declaring support for Home Rule, Gladstone trod a dangerous political path. The Tories were adamantly against it; many Liberals did not support it and many people in the street felt that the Irish were not up to governing themselves at that time in history. Gladstone also failed to carry support from Queen Victoria who simply did not like the man:
"(I have) the greatest possible disinclination to take this half-crazy and in many ways ridiculous old man." (Victoria having to accept Gladstone as Prime Minister for the third time in 1886. |
In 1886, Gladstone announced that he was "examining the practicality" of introducing Home Rule to Ireland. But some senior Liberals assumed that they knew what this meant – that he had already made up his mind – and refused to serve in his government. This meant that the 76 year old Prime Minister had to work with a cabinet of younger men who were probably more compliant to his ideas. In March 1886, Gladstone and his cabinet formally announced their support for Home Rule.
In April 1886, a Home Rule Bill was placed before Parliament. Its main proposals were:
A separate parliament and government should be set up in Dublin
This parliament would control all Irish affairs except defence issues, foreign relations, trade and issues relating to customs and excise. Westminster would deal with these issues.
Westminster would no longer have any Irish MP's in it.
There were two main criticisms of the Bill:
1) It failed to take on board the fears of Protestant Ulster who were deeply concerned by a parliament being based in an essentially Catholic Dublin. Who would look after the people of Ulster?
2) Many were concerned that there would no longer be Irish MP's at Westminster. As Westminster planned to maintain control over certain key areas, surely Ireland needed a voice actually in Westminster? Also, as Ireland would continue to pay its share into Britain's budget (regardless of whether it had its own parliament), it should have MP's in Westminster to see where this money was going to be spent.
Sixteen days were spent arguing about the bill. On June 8th 1886, the Home Rule bill was defeated by 30 votes. Of those who voted against it, 93 MP's were Liberals and 46 of these MP's were known to be radicals. Gladstone decided to take the issue to the people. Parliament was dissolved and a general election was set for July 1886.


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Delicious spinach ("goma ae"), amazingly non-stringy and non-chewy texture (as spinach can easily get), with the intensely good sesame dressing.
Paired with: Napa Sauvignon Blanc (slightly grassy with a bit of residual sugar).
Paired with: crisp (but with some fat) Macon Blanc (white Burgundy) or a nice Fleurie (Beaujolais, France).
Himawari have the best agedashi tofu I've ever had - the sheet of dry seaweed, the bonito shavings, the crispy tofu, the scallions, dipped in an intense broth.
Paired with: Trimbach Pinot Gris Reserve (from Alsace, France)
Profoundly satisfying, clear-broth Ramen ("shoyu ramen") with pork cuts and seaweed. I saw tiny Japanese kids devour whole bowls by themselves! (Also, try dropping in a few pinches of roasted garlic shavings, conveniently available at every table.)
Paired with:Baumard Savennieres (Chenin Blanc, Loire, France)
Intensely flavorful, spicy garlic Ramen with ground pork ("tan tan men").
Paired with: Dr Loosen "Blue Slate" Kabinett Riesling (Germany, slightly sweet).
Himawari food is as good as you get in Japan. There is always a line outside, and they don't take reservations, so come early, and enjoy!


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Tortoises have learned how to use touchscreens as part of a study which aimed to teach the animals navigational techniques.
The research, which was led by Dr Anna Wilkinson, from the School of Life Sciences, involved red-footed tortoises, which are native to Central and South America. The brain structure of reptiles is very different to that of mammals, which use the hippocampus for spatial navigation.
Instead, it is thought that the reptilian medial cortex serves as a homologue, however very little behavioural work has actually examined this. To understand how tortoises learn to navigate around their environment, the researchers tested how the reptiles relied on cues to get around.
Dr Wilkinson said: "Tortoises are perfect to study as they are considered largely unchanged from when they roamed the world millions of years ago. And this research is important so we can better understand the evolution of the brain and the evolution of cognition."
Dr Wilkinson carried out the initial training while at the University of Vienna, giving the tortoises treats such as strawberries when the reptiles looked at, approached and then pecked blue circles on the screen.
Two of the tortoises, Esme and Quinn, went on to apply their knowledge to a real-life situation.
The researchers placed them in an arena with two empty food bowls that looked like the blue circles on the touchscreen. The tortoises went to the bowl on the same side as the circles they were trained to peck on the screen.
Dr Wilkinson explained: "Their task was to simply remember where they had been rewarded, learning a simple response pattern on the touchscreen. They then transferred what they had learned from the touchscreen into a real-world situation. This tells us that when navigating in real space they do not rely on simple motor feedback but learn about the position of stimuli within an environment.
"The big problem is how to ask all animals a question that they are equally capable of answering. The touchscreen is a brilliant solution as all animals can interact with it, whether it is with a paw, nose or beak. This allows us to compare the different cognitive capabilities."
Story Source:
Materials provided by University of Lincoln. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
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John McCain on JobsRepublican nominee for President; Senior Senator (AZ) | |
A: Well, the point is that I have voted to keep taxes low and to cu taxes. And Senator Obama has voted to raise them consistently. Even on people as low as $42,000.
Q: But why have you been against the minimum wage?
A: I�m for the minimum wage increases when they are not attached to other big-spending pork barrel.
Q: So, you would have been for the increases in the minimum wage, even though you voted against it 19 times?
A: The fact is that I am for a living wage for all Americans. And I�d like to see them get it. But the key is to get them jobs, and get them the kind of good educational opportunity and affordable health care. So, I am committed, and my record clearly shows that I�ve done everything I can to keep their taxes low.
ROMNEY: We�re going to have to do the hard work of rebuilding our economy, strengthening it. And I know that there are some people, such as Sen. McCain, who think that some jobs have left that are never coming back. I disagree. I�m going to fight for every single job, in every state in this country.
McCAIN: Sometimes you have to tell people things they don�t want to hear. There are jobs--let�s have a little straight talk--there are some jobs that aren�t coming back to Michigan. There are some jobs that won�t come back here to South Carolina. But we�re going to take care of them. That�s our goal; that�s our obligation. We need to go to the community colleges and design education and training programs so that these workers get a second chance. That�s our obligation as a nation. And by the way, I don�t believe we�re headed into a recession. I believe the fundamentals of this economy are strong, and I believe they will remain strong.
A: I think the unions have played a very important role in the history of this country to improve the plight and conditions of laboring Americans. I think that like many other monopolies, in some cases they have then serious excesses. I come from a right-to-work state. If someone wants to join a union in my state, they�re free to do so, but they are not compelled to do so. I think the key to unions is that any American has the right and privilege to join a union but should never be forced to do so. And this latest ploy of the Democrats of signing people up in the most willy-nilly fashion is something that needs to be rejected, because it will not protect the rights of workers who do not wish to join a union.
Proponent's argument to vote Yes:
Rep. CHARLES RANGEL (D, NY-15): The House, for weeks, has attempted to save the free world from a fiscal disaster. We have bailed out the banks and those who held mortgages. At the same time, we provided for energy extensions, we provided tax breaks for those people that tax provisions have expired. We provided for hurricane relief, for mental health. So over $1 trillion is out there for this House to ease the pain of millions of Americans.
While we were dealing with these gigantic powers, we overlooked the fact that over the last 12 months the number of unemployed workers has jumped by over 2 million, leaving 10 million Americans struggling for work. These are hardworking people that have lost their jobs through no fault of their own.
Rep. JERRY WELLER (R, IL-11): This important legislation provides additional needed assistance to the long-term unemployed. It's important that we pass this legislation today as our last act before we leave for the election campaign.
This legislation focuses the most additional benefits on workers and States where the unemployment rate is highest and where jobs are hardest to find. This program continues the requirement that those benefiting from extended unemployment benefits had to have worked at least 20 weeks. Americans were rightly concerned about proposals to eliminate that work requirement and allow 39 weeks or, under the legislation before us today, as many as 59 weeks of total unemployment benefits to be paid to those who have previously only worked for a few weeks.
Opponent's argument to vote No:None voiced.
Proponents support voting YES because:
The principle at stake here is the freedom that all workers should have to organize for better working conditions & fair wages. There are many employers around the country who honor this freedom. Unfortunately, there are also many employers who do not. These employers attempt to prevent workers from unionizing by using tactics that amount to harassment, if not outright firing. In fact, one in five people who try to organize unions are fired. These tactics are already illegal, but the penalties are so minor, they are not effective deterrents.
Opponents support voting NO because:
Democracy itself is placed at risk by this bill. The sanctity of the secret ballot is the backbone of our democratic process. Not one voter signed a card to send us here to Congress. None of us sent our campaign workers out to voters' houses armed with candidate information & a stack of authorization cards. No. We trusted democracy. We trusted the voters to cast their ballots like adults, freely, openly, without intimidation, and we live with the results. But here we are, poised to advance legislation to kill a secret ballot process.
Let's be clear. Every American has the right to organize. No one is debating that. This is a right we believe in so strongly we have codified it and made it possible for workers to do so through a secret ballot.
Status: Cloture rejected Cloture vote rejected, 51-48 (3/5ths required)
Proponents support voting YES because:
We have waited for over 10 years to have a clean vote on the minimum wage for the poorest workers in this country Low-wage workers had their wages frozen in time, from 10 years ago, but when they go to the supermarket, the food prices are higher; when they put gasoline in the car, the gasoline prices are higher; when they pay the utility bills, the utility bills are higher; when their kids get sick, the medical bills are higher. All of those things are higher. They are living in 2007, but in their wages they are living in 1997.
Opponents support voting NO because:
This bill is marked more by what is not in the bill than what is in it. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy. They create two-thirds of our Nation's new jobs, and they represent 98% of the new businesses in the US. What protection does this bill provide them? None whatsoever.
We can do better. In the interest of sending the President a final measure that provides consideration for small businesses and their workers, the very men and women who are responsible for our economy's recent growth and strength, we must do better.
As the federation of America�s unions, the AFL-CIO includes more than 13 million of America�s workers in 60 member unions working in virtually every part of the economy. The mission of the AFL-CIO is to improve the lives of working families to bring economic justice to the workplace and social justice to our nation. To accomplish this mission we will build and change the American labor movement.
The following ratings are based on the votes the organization considered most important; the numbers reflect the percentage of time the representative voted the organization's preferred position.


text: Longan in Syrup or 'Lam Yai' in Thai, one of the most popular fruit in Thailand. Mostly grown in northern part of the country. With its sweet and juicy white pul, make Longan a unique flavor fruit. Served with crushed ice or by itself. This longan also goes well with fruit salad. Ingredients: Longan, water, sugar, citric acid. Net Weight 20.00 oz. Product of Thailand.


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What Made Studying in New Zealand Different to Japan | Study With New Zealand
I left high school in Japan to come and study in New Zealand at the age of 17 to help improve my English and to find out what I was interested in.
I left high school in Japan to come and study in New Zealand at the age of 17 to help improve my English and to find out what I was interested in.
Practical and experiential study
One of the advantages of studying at a New Zealand high school is the wide range of subjects you can take. Once you achieve standards in mathematical and literacy skills, you can study whatever you want based on your interests. This has made me curious and motivated to study.
Many high school students probably think that what we learn in high school classes will never be useful in real life just as I did before coming here. However, it is not the case in New Zealand as you will find that what you learn in class is much more interesting and inspiring because the style of learning is practical and experiential.
You will find that what you learn in class is much more interesting and inspiring because the style of learning is practical and experiential.
For example, in geography the class visited Franz Josef Glacier and witnessed the impact of cultural and natural environments on the glacier and on the life of people in the area. In mathematics, we learnt to not only memorise equations but we also learnt how to apply them to a computer programme in a work situation.
These ways of learning have allowed me to see how what we learn in class can be used in real life situations.
Support and asking for help
Studying in English has been challenging and required me to study a lot harder than my other classmates. I couldn't have completed my two and a half years of study without the support of the people who helped me.
Teachers at AGHS always answered my questions kindly and supported me to gain academic achievement – I achieved NCEA level two and three with excellence endorsements. My amazing friends have made my life in New Zealand more exciting and created lots of lifelong memories. The International Director and the Homestay Coordinators at school always cheered me up and put me in a positive mindset, which helped me to take chances and overcome challenges.
For future international students, make sure you ask for help if you need it and express what you think and feel. There are people there to help you but make sure you appreciate and respect them!
Diverse and multi-cultural
New Zealand is the small country with less people than Japan where I am from, but it is filled with exciting and amazing opportunities. Being an ambassador for Christchurch Educated International Student Association was one of those opportunities that I was able to experience.
As an ambassador, I got to meet people from all over the world. Through the association's activities, I discovered why diversity benefits us all and how different cultures and values can coexist. Diversity allows us to have broader viewpoints and make unbiased judgments – many of the frictions which occur between different cultures and values can be eliminated through discussion.
My experience at Christchurch Educated has influenced my decision to study political science and economics at university in Japan with a focus on immigration and how people from different cultures can coexist.
My 'choice' decision!
When I left high school in Japan to come to New Zealand I was only one year away from finishing. It may have been a little bit unusual but now I can confidentially say that my decision was 'choice' (a New Zealand word for excellent)! Now I can be very proud of myself and of what I have learnt by deciding to study in New Zealand.
About the contributors
Mikuru Oka came to Christchurch, New Zealand in July 2014 to study at Avonside Girls' High School. She will be graduating from the high school this year and going back to Japan to study political science and economics.


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Freight Trains and Steep Curves The U.S. financial system's big gamble on perpetually low short-term interest rates © 2003 John P. Hussman, Ph.D. This article first appeared on July 11, 2003 as a guest perspective in Kate Welling's Welling@Weeden "I also enjoyed John Hussman's essay. But I'm afraid he's right." T.S. Eliot once wrote "Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go." It seems that the U.S. financial system is bound and determined to find out. The major force shaping economic dynamics over the coming decade is likely to be an unwinding of the extreme leverage that individuals, businesses, and the U.S. itself (via its record current account deficit) have accumulated. Every past U.S. economic expansion has begun with a current account surplus, which moved rapidly to a deficit as consumption and investment soared. In contrast, eliminating a massive current account deficit will dampen future growth in domestic consumption and investment for quite a while. Individual and corporate balance sheets are no healthier, of course, and this will make the U.S. economy vulnerable to future debt crises and shifts in the profile of interest rates. Many of these difficulties are well recognized, if not universally feared. What is not so obvious is the extent to which the U.S. economy and financial markets are betting on the continuation of unusually low short-term interest rates and a steep yield curve. This doesn't necessarily resolve into immediate risks, but it could profoundly affect the path that the economy and financial markets take during the next few years, by making the unwinding of debt much more abrupt. In response to very low short-term interest rates, many U.S. corporations have swapped their long-term (fixed interest rate) debt into short-term (floating interest rate) debt, to the extent that an increase in short-term rates could substantially raise default risks. Similarly, a growing proportion of homeowners have refinanced their mortgages into adjustable rate structures that are also sensitive to higher short-term yields. Finally, profitability in the banking system is unusually dependent on a steep yield curve, with a widening net interest margin (the difference between long-term rates banks charge borrowers and the lower short-term rates they pay depositors) accounting for all of the strength in bank earnings in recent years. Of course, if somebody owes short-term interest, somebody else must be earning it. In equilibrium, every security issued is matched by a holder on the other side. For this reason, the ocean of "liquidity on the sidelines" in money market funds is not a pool of money waiting to be invested in stocks or bonds, but is instead a measure of how dependent U.S. borrowers are on short-term debt. See, if Mickey sells his money market fund to buy stocks, the securities in that money market fund have to be sold to Nicky, whose cash goes to Mickey, who uses that cash to buy stock from Ricky. In the end, Nicky holds the money market securities that Mickey used to hold, Mickey holds the stock that Ricky used to hold, and Ricky holds the cash that Nicky used to hold. In the end, there is just as much "cash on the sidelines" as there was before. Money never goes into or out of the market, merely through it. So the real question is this: why is anybody willing to hold this low interest rate paper if the borrowers issuing it are so vulnerable to default risk? That's the secret. The borrowers don't actually issue it directly. Instead, much of the worst credit risk in the U.S. financial system is actually swapped into instruments that end up being partially backed by the U.S. government. These are held by investors precisely because they piggyback on the good faith and credit of Uncle Sam. See, a risk-averse investor might be somewhat reluctant to lend short-term money directly to, say, General Motors. To see how the U.S. government becomes a counterparty to this debt, grab a pen. Transforming risky debt into government backed paper First, suppose that Citibank gets money from its depositors at a floating rate, and lends to mortgage borrowers at a fixed 6%. Now GM issues bonds yielding 7%, and enters a swap with Citibank, in which Citibank pays GM 5% fixed in return for floating. (Specifically, both parties agree on some notional principal, say $100 million, and each makes payments to the other, determined by multiplying a fixed or floating interest rate by that principal amount. The market for this sort of transaction is huge). Well, now GM is paying an actual interest rate of floating + 2% (pay 7% to bondholders, get 5% from Citibank, pay Citibank floating). Meanwhile, as compensation for the credit risk it has accepted all around, Citibank earns a fixed 1% margin regardless of interest rate movements (pay depositors floating, get 6% from mortgages, pay 5% to GM, get floating from GM). Neat. And since Citibank is federally insured at the depositor level, and "too big to fail" at the institutional level, Uncle Sam is now a counterparty that effectively shares the risk in the case that GM or homeowners default. Similar transactions serve to swap risky corporate and mortgage borrowing into safe government agency paper issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Now make no mistake, there is little question that bank deposits and agency debt are safely backed by the U.S. government and that this is a good commitment. However, the holders of stock in banks or mortgage companies like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac may not be so secure. It's just excruciatingly difficult to perfectly match risky assets and liabilities at extremely high levels of leverage. Ask Long Term Capital. Indeed, were it not for accounting rules that allow Fannie Mae to keep balance sheet losses out of earnings, it would be clearer to investors that last summer's 5-month "duration mismatch" cost Fannie nearly a year of earnings. Similar derivatives-related issues are at the core of Freddie Mac's recent difficulties. According to the Bank for International Settlements, the U.S. interest rate swap market is about $34 trillion in size, having nearly doubled in size in the past two years. The reason this figure is so enormous is that there are usually several links in the chain from borrower to investor. A risky borrower may enter a swap with bank A, which then takes an offsetting swap position with bank B (earning a bit of the credit spread as its compensation), and so on, with a cheerful money market investor at the end of the chain holding a safe, government backed security, oblivious to the chain of counterparty risk in between. Picture a freight train. Aside from the risk that any particular link in this chain might be weak (know thy counterparty), the U.S. financial system has gone one step further. In order to hedge against the risk of defaults, banks frequently lay credit risk off by entering "credit default swaps" with other banks or insurance companies. These swaps essentially act as insurance policies for credit risk. Once again, however, the iron law of equilibrium is that every risk swapped away by someone is held by someone else. According to Bloomberg, over half of the world's trading in the credit swaps market is concentrated among five banks: J.P. Morgan (26%), Citigroup (10%), UBS Warburg (9%), Bank of America (7%) and Deutsche Bank (7%). As Warren Buffett has noted, "Large amounts of risk, particularly credit risk, have been concentrated in the hands of relatively few derivatives dealers, who in addition trade extensively with one another. The trouble of one could quickly infect the others." Picture a freight train. In short, the U.S. financial system is in a delicate balance. On the issuer side, a great many borrowers have linked their debt obligations to short-term interest rates. This is tolerated by the financial system because the debt has been swapped out through financial intermediaries, so investors get to hold relatively safe instruments like bank deposits and Fannie Mae securities. This mountain of debt in the U.S. financial system - tied to short-term interest rates - is ultimately and perhaps somewhat inadvertently backed by the U.S. government. On the investor side, Asian governments intent on holding their currencies down relative to the U.S. dollar have purchased a great deal of U.S. government and agency debt - effectively "buying dollars." China, for example, pegs the yuan to the U.S. dollar, and accumulates large volumes of dollar denominated securities as reserve assets. Individual investors have also been willing to hold low-yielding money market instruments because of profound weakness of the U.S. stock market and restrained inflation. A reduction of demand for U.S. short-term debt, either by foreign governments (particularly in the event that Asian governments decide to revalue their currencies) or by U.S. investors, could have very undesirable consequences. All of which is why the U.S. is now extremely dependent on short-term interest rates remaining low indefinitely. Near-term inflation risk, longer-term default risk In addition to the direct effect of increasing debt-servicing costs of fragile borrowers at all levels of the economy, an increase in short-term interest rates would tend to raise "monetary velocity," resulting in an abrupt and unexpected increase in inflation. As a rule, rising short-term interest rates have historically been self-reinforcing because they trigger the delayed inflationary impact of the prior monetary easing. Though currency and bank reserves (monetary base components) are held partly because they provide useful transaction services, they do not bear interest. An increase in interest rates therefore increases the opportunity cost of holding base money, and results in an increase in monetary velocity. By definition, inflation equals the growth in the monetary base, plus the growth in monetary velocity, minus the growth in real output (this follows from the monetary identity PY = MV). To the extent that economic strength could raise short-term interest rates, velocity and inflation in the near term (regardless of Fed action), the heavy dependence of risky debtors to low interest rate credit could trigger a fresh acceleration of defaults in the longer term. While the prospects for rapid and sustained economic growth remain questionable, there is increasing evidence that the U.S. economy may enjoy a surprising burst of strength in the second half of 2003. Given the potential pressure on short-term market interest rates (regardless of whether the Fed follows suit), a short burst of strength in the U.S. economy may ironically be the last thing that the U.S. economy needs. John P. Hussman, Ph.D. is the President of the Hussman Investment Trust and portfolio manager of the Hussman Funds. --- The foregoing comments represent the general investment analysis and economic views of the Advisor, and are provided solely for the purpose of information, instruction and discourse. Prospectuses for the Hussman Strategic Growth Fund, the Hussman Strategic Total Return Fund, the Hussman Strategic International Fund, and the Hussman Strategic Dividend Value Fund, as well as Fund reports and other information, are available by clicking "The Funds" menu button from any page of this website. |
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text:
DETROIT (AP) -- Consumer Reports is warning car buyers that turbocharged engines may not deliver the speed or fuel economy they expect.
The magazine said Tuesday that its tests showed turbocharged models from Ford, Hyundai and Kia are less efficient than competitors. It also said the turbocharged Chevrolet Cruze got little extra power or fuel economy than a non-turbocharged engine.
The magazine did praise a turbocharged four-cylinder from BMW.
Turbochargers pump extra air into engines so more fuel can be added to boost power. Carmakers charge more for them, promising extra power.
Consumer Reports said a new Ford Fusion with an optional 1.6-liter EcoBoost engine was slower and got lower fuel economy than a Toyota Camry, Honda Accord or Nissan Altima with regular engines.
Ford said it can't speak for Consumer Reports' tests, but its surveys show EcoBoost customers are satisfied with their fuel economy.
A spokeswoman for General Motors Co. says the Cruze turbocharged engine provides more power and better acceleration when compared with the non-turbocharged engine. She said people who drive with a heavy foot on the accelerator of a turbocharged engine won't see a lot of gas mileage benefits.


text: Nicaragua (American English: , British English: ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua ( ), is the largest country in the Central American isthmus, bordering Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean lies to the west, and the Caribbean Sea to the east. The country's physical geography divides it into three major zones: Pacific lowlands; wet, cooler central highlands; and the Caribbean lowlands. On the Pacific side of the country are the two largest fresh water lakes in Central America—Lake Managua and Lake Nicaragua. Surrounding these lakes and extending to their northwest along the rift valley of the Gulf of Fonseca are fertile lowland plains, with soil highly enriched by ash from nearby volcanoes of the central highlands. Nicaragua's abundance of biologically significant and unique ecosystems contribute to Mesoamerica's designation as a biodiversity hotspot. The Spanish Empire conquered the region in the 16th century. Nicaragua achieved its independence from Spain in 1821. Since its independence, Nicaragua has undergone periods of political unrest, dictatorship, and fiscal crisis—the most notable causes that led to the Nicaraguan Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s. Nicaragua is a representative democratic republic, and has experienced economic growth and political stability in recent years. Since 2007, Daniel Ortega has been the president. The population of Nicaragua, approximately 6 million, is multiethnic. Its capital, Managua, is the third-largest city in Central America. Segments of the population include indigenous native tribes from the Mosquito Coast, Europeans, Africans, Asians, and people of Middle Eastern origin. The main language is Spanish, although native tribes on the eastern coast speak their native languages, such as Miskito, Sumo, and Rama, as well as English creole. The mixture of cultural traditions has generated substantial diversity in art and literature, particularly the latter given the various literary contributions of Nicaraguan poets and writers, including Rubén Darío, Pablo Antonio Cuadra and Ernesto Cardenal. The biological diversity, warm tropical climate, and active volcanoes make Nicaragua an increasingly popular tourist destination.


text:
Secret Garden (dramatic reading), The

CHAPTER XXIV

"LET THEM LAUGH"

The secret garden was not the only one Dickon worked in. Round the cottage on the moor there was a piece of ground enclosed by a low wall of rough stones. Early in the morning and late in the fading twilight and on all the days Colin and Mary did not see him, Dickon worked there planting or tending potatoes and cabbages, turnips and carrots and herbs for his mother. In the company of his "creatures" he did wonders there and was never tired of doing them, it seemed. While he dug or weeded he whistled or sang bits of Yorkshire moor songs or talked to Soot or Captain or the brothers and sisters he had taught to help him.

"We'd never get on as comfortable as we do," Mrs. Sowerby said, "if it wasn't for Dickon's garden. Anything'll grow for him. His 'taters and cabbages is twice th' size of any one else's an' they've got a flavor with 'em as nobody's has."

When she found a moment to spare she liked to go out and talk to him. After supper there was still a long clear twilight to work in and that was her quiet time. She could sit upon the low rough wall and look on and hear stories of the day. She loved this time. There were not only vegetables in this garden. Dickon had bought penny packages of flower seeds now and then and sown bright sweet-scented things among gooseberry bushes and even cabbages and he grew borders of mignonette and pinks and pansies and things whose seeds he could save year after year or whose roots would bloom each spring and spread in time into fine clumps. The low wall was one of the prettiest things in Yorkshire because he had tucked moorland foxglove and ferns and rock-cress and hedgerow flowers into every crevice until only here and there glimpses of the stones were to be seen.

"All a chap's got to do to make 'em thrive, mother," he would say, "is to be friends with 'em for sure. They're just like th' 'creatures.' If they're thirsty give 'em a drink and if they're hungry give 'em a bit o' food. They want to live same as we do. If they died I should feel as if I'd been a bad lad and somehow treated them heartless."

It was in these twilight hours that Mrs. Sowerby heard of all that happened at Misselthwaite Manor. At first she was only told that "Mester Colin" had taken a fancy to going out into the grounds with Miss Mary and that it was doing him good. But it was not long before it was agreed between the two children that Dickon's mother might "come into the secret." Somehow it was not doubted that she was "safe for sure."

So one beautiful still evening Dickon told the whole story, with all the thrilling details of the buried key and the robin and the gray haze which had seemed like deadness and the secret Mistress Mary had planned never to reveal. The coming of Dickon and how it had been told to him, the doubt of Mester Colin and the final drama of his introduction to the hidden domain, combined with the incident of Ben Weatherstaff's angry face peering over the wall and Mester Colin's sudden indignant strength, made Mrs. Sowerby's nice-looking face quite change color several times.

"My word!" she said. "It was a good thing that little lass came to th' Manor. It's been th' makin' o' her an' th' savin' o' him. Standin' on his feet! An' us all thinkin' he was a poor half-witted lad with not a straight bone in him."

She asked a great many questions and her blue eyes were full of deep thinking.

"What do they make of it at th' Manor—him being so well an' cheerful an' never complainin'?" she inquired.

"They don't know what to make of it," answered Dickon. "Every day as comes round his face looks different. It's fillin' out and doesn't look so sharp an' th' waxy color is goin'. But he has to do his bit o' complainin'," with a highly entertained grin.

"What for, i' Mercy's name?" asked Mrs. Sowerby.

Dickon chuckled.

"He does it to keep them from guessin' what's happened. If the doctor knew he'd found out he could stand on his feet he'd likely write and tell Mester Craven. Mester Colin's savin' th' secret to tell himself. He's goin' to practise his Magic on his legs every day till his father comes back an' then he's goin' to march into his room an' show him he's as straight as other lads. But him an' Miss Mary thinks it's best plan to do a bit o' groanin' an' frettin' now an' then to throw folk off th' scent."

Mrs. Sowerby was laughing a low comfortable laugh long before he had finished his last sentence.

"Eh!" she said, "that pair's enjoyin' theirselves, I'll warrant. They'll get a good bit o' play actin' out of it an' there's nothin' children likes as much as play actin'. Let's hear what they do, Dickon lad."

Dickon stopped weeding and sat up on his heels to tell her. His eyes were twinkling with fun.

"Mester Colin is carried down to his chair every time he goes out," he explained. "An' he flies out at John, th' footman, for not carryin' him careful enough. He makes himself as helpless lookin' as he can an' never lifts his head until we're out o' sight o' th' house. An' he grunts an' frets a good bit when he's bein' settled into his chair. Him an' Miss Mary's both got to enjoyin' it an' when he groans an' complains she'll say, 'Poor Colin! Does it hurt you so much? Are you so weak as that, poor Colin?'—but th' trouble is that sometimes they can scarce keep from burstin' out laughin'. When we get safe into the garden they laugh till they've no breath left to laugh with. An' they have to stuff their faces into Mester Colin's cushions to keep the gardeners from hearin', if any of 'em's about."

"Th' more they laugh th' better for 'em!" said Mrs. Sowerby, still laughing herself. "Good healthy child laughin's better than pills any day o' th' year. That pair'll plump up for sure."

"They are plumpin' up," said Dickon. "They're that hungry they don't know how to get enough to eat without makin' talk. Mester Colin says if he keeps sendin' for more food they won't believe he's an invalid at all. Miss Mary says she'll let him eat her share, but he says that if she goes hungry she'll get thin an' they mun both get fat at once."

Mrs. Sowerby laughed so heartily at the revelation of this difficulty, that she quite rocked backward and forward in her blue cloak, and Dickon laughed with her.

"I'll tell thee what, lad," Mrs. Sowerby said when she could speak. "I've thought of a way to help 'em. When tha' goes to 'em in th' mornin's tha' shall take a pail o' good new milk an' I'll bake 'em a crusty cottage loaf or some buns wi' currants in 'em, same as you children like. Nothin's so good as fresh milk an' bread. Then they could take off th' edge o' their hunger while they were in their garden an' th' fine food they get indoors 'ud polish off th' corners."

"Eh! mother!" said Dickon admiringly, "what a wonder tha' art! Tha' always sees a way out o' things. They was quite in a pother yesterday. They didn't see how they was to manage without orderin' up more food—they felt that empty inside."

"They're two young 'uns growin' fast, an' health's comin' back to both of 'em. Children like that feels like young wolves an' food's flesh an' blood to 'em," said Mrs. Sowerby. Then she smiled Dickon's own curving smile. "Eh! but they're enjoyin' theirselves for sure," she said.

She was quite right, the comfortable wonderful mother creature—and she had never been more so than when she said their "play actin'" would be their joy. Colin and Mary found it one of their most thrilling sources of entertainment. The idea of protecting themselves from suspicion had been unconsciously suggested to them first by the puzzled nurse and then by Dr. Craven himself.

"Your appetite is improving very much, Master Colin," the nurse had said one day. "You used to eat nothing, and so many things disagreed with you."

"Nothing disagrees with me now," replied Colin, and then seeing the nurse looking at him curiously he suddenly remembered that perhaps he ought not to appear too well just yet. "At least things don't so often disagree with me. It's the fresh air."

"Perhaps it is," said the nurse, still looking at him with a mystified expression. "But I must talk to Dr. Craven about it."

"How she stared at you!" said Mary when she went away. "As if she thought there must be something to find out."

"I won't have her finding out things," said Colin. "No one must begin to find out yet." When Dr. Craven came that morning he seemed puzzled, also. He asked a number of questions, to Colin's great annoyance.

"You stay out in the garden a great deal," he suggested. "Where do you go?"

Colin put on his favorite air of dignified indifference to opinion.

"I will not let any one know where I go," he answered. "I go to a place I like. Every one has orders to keep out of the way. I won't be watched and stared at. You know that!"

"You seem to be out all day but I do not think it has done you harm—I do not think so. The nurse says that you eat much more than you have ever done before."

"Perhaps," said Colin, prompted by a sudden inspiration, "perhaps it is an unnatural appetite."

"I do not think so, as your food seems to agree with you," said Dr. Craven. "You are gaining flesh rapidly and your color is better."

"Perhaps—perhaps I am bloated and feverish," said Colin, assuming a discouraging air of gloom. "People who are not going to live are often—different."

Dr. Craven shook his head. He was holding Colin's wrist and he pushed up his sleeve and felt his arm.

"You are not feverish," he said thoughtfully, "and such flesh as you have gained is healthy. If we can keep this up, my boy, we need not talk of dying. Your father will be very happy to hear of this remarkable improvement."

"I won't have him told!" Colin broke forth fiercely. "It will only disappoint him if I get worse again—and I may get worse this very night. I might have a raging fever. I feel as if I might be beginning to have one now. I won't have letters written to my father—I won't—I won't! You are making me angry and you know that is bad for me. I feel hot already. I hate being written about and being talked over as much as I hate being stared at!"

"Hush-h! my boy," Dr. Craven soothed him. "Nothing shall be written without your permission. You are too sensitive about things. You must not undo the good which has been done."

He said no more about writing to Mr. Craven and when he saw the nurse he privately warned her that such a possibility must not be mentioned to the patient.

"The boy is extraordinarily better," he said. "His advance seems almost abnormal. But of course he is doing now of his own free will what we could not make him do before. Still, he excites himself very easily and nothing must be said to irritate him."

Mary and Colin were much alarmed and talked together anxiously. From this time dated their plan of "play actin'."

"I may be obliged to have a tantrum," said Colin regretfully. "I don't want to have one and I'm not miserable enough now to work myself into a big one. Perhaps I couldn't have one at all. That lump doesn't come in my throat now and I keep thinking of nice things instead of horrible ones. But if they talk about writing to my father I shall have to do something."

He made up his mind to eat less, but unfortunately it was not possible to carry out this brilliant idea when he wakened each morning with an amazing appetite and the table near his sofa was set with a breakfast of home-made bread and fresh butter, snow-white eggs, raspberry jam and clotted cream. Mary always breakfasted with him and when they found themselves at the table—particularly if there were delicate slices of sizzling ham sending forth tempting odors from under a hot silver cover—they would look into each other's eyes in desperation.

"I think we shall have to eat it all this morning, Mary," Colin always ended by saying. "We can send away some of the lunch and a great deal of the dinner."

But they never found they could send away anything and the highly polished condition of the empty plates returned to the pantry awakened much comment.

"I do wish," Colin would say also, "I do wish the slices of ham were thicker, and one muffin each is not enough for any one."

"It's enough for a person who is going to die," answered Mary when first she heard this, "but it's not enough for a person who is going to live. I sometimes feel as if I could eat three when those nice fresh heather and gorse smells from the moor come pouring in at the open window."

The morning that Dickon—after they had been enjoying themselves in the garden for about two hours—went behind a big rose-bush and brought forth two tin pails and revealed that one was full of rich new milk with cream on the top of it, and that the other held cottage-made currant buns folded in a clean blue and white napkin, buns so carefully tucked in that they were still hot, there was a riot of surprised joyfulness. What a wonderful thing for Mrs. Sowerby to think of! What a kind, clever woman she must be! How good the buns were! And what delicious fresh milk!

"Magic is in her just as it is in Dickon," said Colin. "It makes her think of ways to do things—nice things. She is a Magic person. Tell her we are grateful, Dickon—extremely grateful."

He was given to using rather grown-up phrases at times. He enjoyed them. He liked this so much that he improved upon it.

"Tell her she has been most bounteous and our gratitude is extreme."

And then forgetting his grandeur he fell to and stuffed himself with buns and drank milk out of the pail in copious draughts in the manner of any hungry little boy who had been taking unusual exercise and breathing in moorland air and whose breakfast was more than two hours behind him.

This was the beginning of many agreeable incidents of the same kind. They actually awoke to the fact that as Mrs. Sowerby had fourteen people to provide food for she might not have enough to satisfy two extra appetites every day. So they asked her to let them send some of their shillings to buy things.

Dickon made the stimulating discovery that in the wood in the park outside the garden where Mary had first found him piping to the wild creatures there was a deep little hollow where you could build a sort of tiny oven with stones and roast potatoes and eggs in it. Roasted eggs were a previously unknown luxury and very hot potatoes with salt and fresh butter in them were fit for a woodland king—besides being deliciously satisfying. You could buy both potatoes and eggs and eat as many as you liked without feeling as if you were taking food out of the mouths of fourteen people.

Every beautiful morning the Magic was worked by the mystic circle under the plum-tree which provided a canopy of thickening green leaves after its brief blossom-time was ended. After the ceremony Colin always took his walking exercise and throughout the day he exercised his newly found power at intervals. Each day he grew stronger and could walk more steadily and cover more ground. And each day his belief in the Magic grew stronger—as well it might. He tried one experiment after another as he felt himself gaining strength and it was Dickon who showed him the best things of all.

"Yesterday," he said one morning after an absence, "I went to Thwaite for mother an' near th' Blue Cow Inn I seed Bob Haworth. He's the strongest chap on th' moor. He's the champion wrestler an' he can jump higher than any other chap an' throw th' hammer farther. He's gone all th' way to Scotland for th' sports some years. He's knowed me ever since I was a little 'un an' he's a friendly sort an' I axed him some questions. Th' gentry calls him a athlete and I thought o' thee, Mester Colin, and I says, 'How did tha' make tha' muscles stick out that way, Bob? Did tha' do anythin' extra to make thysel' so strong?' An' he says 'Well, yes, lad, I did. A strong man in a show that came to Thwaite once showed me how to exercise my arms an' legs an' every muscle in my body.' An' I says, 'Could a delicate chap make himself stronger with 'em, Bob?' an' he laughed an' says, 'Art tha' th' delicate chap?' an' I says, 'No, but I knows a young gentleman that's gettin' well of a long illness an' I wish I knowed some o' them tricks to tell him about.' I didn't say no names an' he didn't ask none. He's friendly same as I said an' he stood up an' showed me good-natured like, an' I imitated what he did till I knowed it by heart."

Colin had been listening excitedly.

"Can you show me?" he cried. "Will you?"

"Aye, to be sure," Dickon answered, getting up. "But he says tha' mun do 'em gentle at first an' be careful not to tire thysel'. Rest in between times an' take deep breaths an' don't overdo."

"I'll be careful," said Colin. "Show me! Show me! Dickon, you are the most Magic boy in the world!"

Dickon stood up on the grass and slowly went through a carefully practical but simple series of muscle exercises. Colin watched them with widening eyes. He could do a few while he was sitting down. Presently he did a few gently while he stood upon his already steadied feet. Mary began to do them also. Soot, who was watching the performance, became much disturbed and left his branch and hopped about restlessly because he could not do them too.

From that time the exercises were part of the day's duties as much as the Magic was. It became possible for both Colin and Mary to do more of them each time they tried, and such appetites were the results that but for the basket Dickon put down behind the bush each morning when he arrived they would have been lost. But the little oven in the hollow and Mrs. Sowerby's bounties were so satisfying that Mrs. Medlock and the nurse and Dr. Craven became mystified again. You can trifle with your breakfast and seem to disdain your dinner if you are full to the brim with roasted eggs and potatoes and richly frothed new milk and oat-cakes and buns and heather honey and clotted cream.

"They are eating next to nothing," said the nurse. "They'll die of starvation if they can't be persuaded to take some nourishment. And yet see how they look."

"Look!" exclaimed Mrs. Medlock indignantly. "Eh! I'm moithered to death with them. They're a pair of young Satans. Bursting their jackets one day and the next turning up their noses at the best meals Cook can tempt them with. Not a mouthful of that lovely young fowl and bread sauce did they set a fork into yesterday—and the poor woman fair invented a pudding for them—and back it's sent. She almost cried. She's afraid she'll be blamed if they starve themselves into their graves."

Dr. Craven came and looked at Colin long and carefully. He wore an extremely worried expression when the nurse talked with him and showed him the almost untouched tray of breakfast she had saved for him to look at—but it was even more worried when he sat down by Colin's sofa and examined him. He had been called to London on business and had not seen the boy for nearly two weeks. When young things begin to gain health they gain it rapidly. The waxen tinge had left Colin's skin and a warm rose showed through it; his beautiful eyes were clear and the hollows under them and in his cheeks and temples had filled out. His once dark, heavy locks had begun to look as if they sprang healthily from his forehead and were soft and warm with life. His lips were fuller and of a normal color. In fact as an imitation of a boy who was a confirmed invalid he was a disgraceful sight. Dr. Craven held his chin in his hand and thought him over.

"I am sorry to hear that you do not eat anything," he said. "That will not do. You will lose all you have gained—and you have gained amazingly. You ate so well a short time ago."

"I told you it was an unnatural appetite," answered Colin.

Mary was sitting on her stool nearby and she suddenly made a very queer sound which she tried so violently to repress that she ended by almost choking.

"What is the matter?" said Dr. Craven, turning to look at her.

Mary became quite severe in her manner.

"It was something between a sneeze and a cough," she replied with reproachful dignity, "and it got into my throat."

"But" she said afterward to Colin, "I couldn't stop myself. It just burst out because all at once I couldn't help remembering that last big potato you ate and the way your mouth stretched when you bit through that thick lovely crust with jam and clotted cream on it."

"Is there any way in which those children can get food secretly?" Dr. Craven inquired of Mrs. Medlock.

"There's no way unless they dig it out of the earth or pick it off the trees," Mrs. Medlock answered. "They stay out in the grounds all day and see no one but each other. And if they want anything different to eat from what's sent up to them they need only ask for it."

"Well," said Dr. Craven, "so long as going without food agrees with them we need not disturb ourselves. The boy is a new creature."

"So is the girl," said Mrs. Medlock. "She's begun to be downright pretty since she's filled out and lost her ugly little sour look. Her hair's grown thick and healthy looking and she's got a bright color. The glummest, ill-natured little thing she used to be and now her and Master Colin laugh together like a pair of crazy young ones. Perhaps they're growing fat on that."

"Perhaps they are," said Dr. Craven. "Let them laugh."

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The Economic Development Authority (EDA) works with land owners, businesses, developers, public agencies, and non-profit partners. The EDA encourages significant job development on the considerable acres of land available for medical, corporate, and financial service office development. Historically, business addition, retention and expansion has been a priority in our established and centrally located downtown. The EDA evaluates the use of tax increment financing resources to support economic development


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Good Mmm-orning!
Goodness gracious it is Wednesday already. Short week!
Behold, the breakfast pizza.
Do you ever think of a recipe idea and find yourself racing to the kitchen to make it as soon as possible?
That was me last night.
I was looking at my PB & J Glo Bites and Pumpkin Spiced Glo Bites recipes and the idea of making a breakfast pizza suddenly struck me. Not just any pizza though, a peanut butter, jam, and banana breakfast pizza!
If it worked, I knew I would have a fun recipe to share with you that would be delicious, kid-friendly, and fun to throw together on the weekend.
And who doesn't love leftover pizza for a quick weekday breakfast now and then? ;)
Peanut Butter, Jam, & Banana Breakfast Pizza
- 2 cups whole grain spelt flour
- 1/2 cup Earth Balance buttery spread, warmed
- 1/4 cup Sucanat (or brown sugar might work)
- 1 large banana, sliced
- 1/2 cup Almond Milk (adapted from 1/4 cup which was an error)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 3/4 cup jam
- 1/3-1/2 cup peanut butter
- Cacao Nibs (optional)
- Coconut, to garnish (optional)
Directions: Preheat oven to 400F. Grease a pie pan. In a large bowl mix together the spelt flour, salt, sucanat, and cinnamon. Now pour in milk and warmed Earth Balance. Mix. Take batter and spread evenly with fingers into the pie pan. Now grab your jam and spread over the crust mixture. Add sliced banana and optional cacao nibs. Pop into the oven for 25 minutes at 400F. Remove and cool for 15 minutes. Pipe on peanut butter, slice and serve. You can also chill it and serve it cold or try popping it in the freezer for a cold treat (just let it defrost for about 5 minutes first)!
Note: This pizza is very sweet! If you want to make a lighter pizza, you can experiment with using less jam and peanut butter. The amounts above are just a guideline.
First, make your protein-packed 100% whole grain spelt crust! The dough tastes like a healthy sugar cookie. :) Yummers.
Squish the dough all in there with your fingers. Don't worry it doesn't have to be perfect!
Now take your jam…you could have fun experimenting with different flavours of jam.
And spread it all around…(it helps if you let it sit at room temperature to soften!)
Cover with bananas and optional cacao nibs…or if you are feeling crazy, chocolate chips.
And bake at 400F for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool in pan for about 15 minutes.
Now place peanut butter in a baggie, trim a small hole in the corner, and 'pipe' onto the pie.
Oh yes.
This is magical.
Serve warm, chilled in the fridge, OR frozen like a DQ Treatzza Pizza!
I tried it hot, warm, chilled, and frozen and my favourite way to eat it was chilled straight from the fridge! Just like leftover pizza. :)
Have fun trying out different kinds of nut butters too. You could even make a nut-free version using sunflower seed butter. I really want to try this with Barney Butter but we don't have it in Canada. It is probably for the best. The last time I had some Eric kept asking me if I wanted any toast with my Barney Butter. ;) Who needs toast when you have Barney Butter?
You could also try making a FRUIT pizza and loading it with all kinds of sliced fruit…how delicious would that be? I'm thinking mangoes, banana, pineapple, strawberries, blueberries, cherries, etc.
I also want to say a huge THANK YOU for your support with the Tastespotting Portabella Playoff Challenge! My Stuffed Pizza recipe took home gold. Thanks everyone! :)


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Official Firmware HOMTOM S7-
official Stock ROM firmware for HOMTOM S7 is Here, in the article you will Learn how to Install stock ROM/flash file on HOMTOM S7. if you own a HOMTOM S7 smartphone and want to Install Stock Rom/ firmware on it to unbrick or fix bootloop issue then you are on correct place, here i will Explain a Complete and Step by Step guide to Install Stock Firmware on HOMTOM S7.
The HOMTOM S7 is a Latest Smartphone which is Run on android 7.0 OS and Powered by a Mediatek MT6737M Processor, the HOMTOM S7 is a Dual Sim Smartphone that accept 2 Regular SIM card, connectivity Option's include 3G 4G, GPS, Wi Fi, Bluetooth etc, Sensor include Goryo proximity Gravity etc.
Some other useful articles-
1, How to Flash Official Firmware on Vivo With QCOM-DLoader.
2. How to Disbale Boot verification using No verity Disbaler.
3. How to Repair IMEI Number on Qualcomm Phone [Easy Method]
4. How to Install Xposed framework on any Android Device [also Nougat]
5. How to Root without PC [Easy method]
6. How to backup NVRAM aka IMEI Number [Easy method Mediatek]
1. This is a unique guide which is work on almost all Mediatek Devices,so follow this one for any Mediatek Device flashing.
2. Flashing The Rom by SP flash tools will erase all your Data with official Rom, So create a backup of your personal data before Flashing, if possible.
3. Please Do carefully, We are not Responsible for any damage, bootloop, or dead SD card's.
4. Ensure that your Device atleast 50% charge During Flashing Process,to Stop the Accidentally Switch off.
5.Follow all steps correctly otherwise it cause bootloop.
6. Must backup NVRAM using this Guide before Doing anything.
Firmware Information-
Device Name | HOMTOM S7 |
OS | Android 7.0 |
Chipset | Mediatek MT6737M |
language | Multi Language |
Root access | Not Rooted |
Gapps | Included |
Require tools and Files-
File Name | Download |
SP Flash tools | Download |
V-COM Driver [Must Require] | Download |
Stock ROM/Firmware HOMTOM S7 | Download |
Backup NVRAM [Must Require] | Go–Here |
How to Install Official Firmware on HOMTOM S7-
Step 1- First of All Download SP flash tools and Extract Inside a Folder, you can Extract in C drive for batter work.
Step 2- Download and install Vcom Driver In your PC, This is a must requirement of SP flash tools Flashing, without the Driver you can't Flash the Device.
Step 3- after That Download official Firmware File, Select your Device From Drop Down menu and Download Rom.
Step 4- Extract Download Rom file Inside a Folder, you can Extract on the Desktop for batter navigations.
Step 5- Go to SP flash tools Folder and Run'Flash tools.exe' File.
Step 6- Navigate the Download tab and then Click over Load Scatter File, a pop up is now opened, navigate Scatter File From Downloaded Rom folder and Click OK.
Step 7- Check everything,[ in custom Recovery case Check Recovery only, and then hit over the Download.
Step 8- As soon as connect your Switched off phone to your PC via usb cable, and wait for Success, after Some time a green circle is appear.Done.
Some universal Mod for all Android phone-
1. Xperia all in Mod for all android Phone
2. Braviea Engine universal Mod to Enhance videos
So This is a Complete Guide to Install Stock Rom on HOMTOM S7 have any question Use Comment box.


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Lots and lots on my plate, so rather random bullet points instead of, you know, actual thought:
- The Lehman collapse comes to my town: The San Mateo County investment pool lost $150 million, or about 5.6% of the total pool. The loss isn't spread evenly, and lawsuits are being discussed. San Jose Mercury News; Trading Markets.
- Read Terry Pratchett's new novel, Nation. It isn't a Discworld novel, but it isn't set in our universe, either. Trousers of Time and all. He wrote much of it after his Alzheimer's diagnosis.
- Hannah Poling and the role of mitochondrial disorders in autism: Jon Poling concealed his severe conflict of interest.
- Flu season is nigh. Prepare at Making Light; a packing list from Misia.
- I've been reading Brown Man Thinking Hard, by Kris Broughton. He works in the financial services sector. Read the series, What Do We Want?
- Sarah Palin Debate Flow Chart
- The Mother Warrior is a dangerous, ignorant fool. Iteration #1 Iteration #2. Steve Novella is uncharacteristically forceful in Iteration #3. Orac is Respectfully Insolent in Iteration #4. Squid, who really is an autism advocate, says, "Jenny McCarthy, stop being an ass!"
- A new blog, advancing the case that Public Education is Failing
- Emily, whose son TH has autism, is going to start the Circle of Friends (link one; link two; link three) curriculum at TH's school.
- A possible genetic link to dyslexia was in the news, and the roots of dyscalculia was also discussed.
- The Science Book Club is discussing Autism's False Prophets. Remarkably, few trolls have shown up.
- The power of blogging: David Bogner wrote about the miraculous change in his son's behavior and language following surgical treatment of infant apnea in Yonah 2.0. One of David's readers, A Simple Jew, read the posts, looked with consideration at his own son, and scheduled an appointment with an ENT. Result: another healthier, happier child.
There's more, but I've run out of tim. And vowels, evidently.
Update Shannon Rosa Autism


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Cancer question complicates 9/11 deal
Linking disease to exposure to toxic dust from WTC site proves elusive
NEW YORK – Of all the illnesses people fear might be caused by toxic dust from the World Trade Center, nothing scares people like cancer.
Hundreds of people are suing New York City over cancer diagnoses they received after working at ground zero. A judge last week rejected a $575 million legal settlement for thousands of sick 9/11 responders in part because he thought it should contain more money for cancer victims.
Yet, statistics show that cancer rates among those who worked in trade center rubble are in line with rates among the general public.
The three major research efforts tracking the health of ground zero responders have so far failed to turn up evidence linking any type of cancer to the dust.
Many of the cancers now afflicting ground zero workers are common. There are plenty of theories as to how the dust might cause cancer, but little proof. Even the scientists most concerned about a potential tie say the length of time it takes for many cancers to develop means it could be years before cases related to 9/11 begin to emerge.
That lack of evidence has complicated efforts to craft a compensation package for sick workers.
With as many as 10,000 workers claiming illnesses, the lawyers trying to hammer out a settlement and lawmakers working on a 9/11 health bill in Washington have faced a tough question: Do they dedicate the bulk of money to people with ailments where there has been stronger evidence of a tie to ground zero, like asthma and other respiratory diseases? Or, do they set aside more for people with deadly, but common, cancers that may or may not be related to the attacks?
'Very different injury'
U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein noted the dilemma last week when he shot down a settlement that would have resolved nearly 10,000 lawsuits over post-9/11 illnesses.
"Cancer is a very difficult injury," he said. "Who can really say how a cancer is caused?"
In the end, the judge suggested he was willing to give the benefit of the doubt to the sick.
"The people who went in to 9/11 did not make calculations on cancers and whether they would get or wouldn't get cancer. … They responded," he said. He said a part of the settlement that capped payments at $100,000 for people who develop the disease in the future was inadequate.
"I think there is more money to pay for the cancers, given all the issues, given all the problems with it," the judge said.
There is no doubt that cancer has claimed the lives of many responders.
New York's state health department, which tracked fatalities for several years among the roughly 40,000 ground zero workers, confirmed at least 250 cancer-related deaths though June 2009. Analysis of other deaths is ongoing.
Many other police, firefighters and construction workers who worked with the dust have fallen ill.
Candiace Baker, a retired New York City police detective, said at a court hearing last week that she was diagnosed with breast cancer after spending many days sifting rubble at a Staten Island landfill. She said she wore a particle-filtering respirator, but is convinced the dust gave her cancer anyway.
"It is not a coincidence," she said.
Frequent killer
Doctors note, however, that cancer causes nearly one of every four deaths in the U.S. and is a frequent killer even among people in their 40s and 50s. And a woman's average lifetime risk for breast cancer is one in eight.
"In any population of 40,000 people over an 8 1/2-year span, there is going to be cancer. That is a known fact," said Dr. Philip Landrigan, who oversees the World Trade Center Medical Monitoring and Treatment Program at Mount Sinai Hospital, one of the three major efforts to study the health of the workers.
Mount Sinai has found no notable spike yet in cancers among the 27,000 ground zero workers it has been tracking, Landrigan said.
Top doctors for the Fire Department, who are conducting a second big study involving 15,000 firefighters, have said they also found no clear increase in cancers. The third and biggest effort, being conducted by the city's health department also hasn't found elevated cancer rates among 71,000 Lower Manhattan residents.
That doesn't mean there is no danger, Landrigan said.
"We know full well that there were carcinogens at ground zero. There was asbestos. There was benzene. There were other things," Landrigan said.
He said he and other researchers had "big concerns" that cancer clusters will emerge as the years go by.
Scientists think environmental toxins cause cancer by damaging cells, which then go through a series of mutations before becoming malignant. That mutation process usually takes place very slowly.
Malignant mesothelioma caused by exposure to asbestos, for example, can take 30 years to manifest, which means that if trade center dust does indeed cause cancer, it would likely not start appearing until after the present court cases are resolved.
All of those uncertainties had been reflected in the court fight.
Proving a link
An analysis performed by two court-appointed officials in September said that of the 802 plaintiffs then involved in the case who claimed to have cancer, 188 said they had skin cancer, 107 said they had lung cancer, 95 said they had lymphoma, 68 had prostate cancer and 66 had liver cancer. Those five types of cancer are all common.
One defendant in the case, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, had asked the judge to order the plaintiffs to provide more proof of a link between cancer and the trade center dust.
"Even if WTC debris were potentially carcinogenic, it is unlikely — indeed, without compelling evidence, scientifically impossible — that numerous cancers would have already arisen from the plaintiffs' relatively recent and short-term exposures to WTC debris," lawyers for the agency wrote.
Before the settlement was announced, a dozen cases were set to go to trial, starting in May.
One involved a firefighter who died of esophageal cancer in 2007 at age 47. His lawyers were prepared to argue that ingested dust from the trade center gave him acid reflux, which in turn damaged the cells in his throat, which then caused his cancer.
A number of studies have documented high rates of acid reflux disease among ground zero responders.
Those trials are now on hold, as is the settlement, while the lawyers on each side decide what to do next.


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LONDON — With overhead power lines strung between large metal towers, polluted waterways, old scrap yards, abandoned factories, piles of used cars, and heaps of discarded refrigerators, east London once looked like a dystopic wasteland. It seemed hopelessly blighted and permanently scarred by industrialization.
Then, London landed the 2012 Summer Games. And, thanks to roughly $10 billion out of an estimated $15 billion-$20 billion Olympic budget, everything changed in the East End.
The Games will showcase plenty of stories about long odds and overcoming adversity. But none may top or make a more lasting impression than east London's regeneration, a project started long before the Opening Ceremonies and expected to leave a legacy long after the Closing Ceremonies.
Today, east London stands as stunning proof of the Olympic movement's power. It showcases the unparalleled ability of the Games to motivate investment, as well as economic and social change.
"The creation of the Olympic Park in one of the poorest parts of London, actually one of the poorest parts of the UK and, arguably, one of the poorest parts of Europe has been an exemplar," said Sebastian Coe, who chairs the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games. "It's created jobs. It's cleaned up a landscape. It's left legacy housing. And it's done it in a way that would sensibly use sport as the catalyst."
For $570 million, the overhead power lines were the first to go when construction for the Games started. The Olympic Development Authority saw the tear-down and subsequent tunneling of the power lines as a symbol of the major transformation to come and as a show of top British engineering. After a massive cleanup and construction of the Olympic Park, the landscape is unrecognizable from seven years ago when London celebrated its winning bid. And Stratford, where the Olympic Park stands, is viewed as a new metropolitan center for east London.
At its peak, the project cost about $10 million a day, according to longtime Mayor of London adviser Neale Coleman.
For that high price, the once-neglected landscape will be center stage during the Games, home to the main stadium, Aquatics Center, Velodrome, Basketball Arena, and main press areas. But looking to a more significant long-term role for the area, London organizers and government officials hope east London points the way to the future by luring investment. It has already with, for example, $2.4 billion in private funds for a shopping mall on the doorstep of the Olympic Park.
"When we were first talking about the bid in 2002, 2003, the British Olympic association asked then-Mayor of London Ken Livingstone if he would support an Olympic bid," said Coleman, who serves as Director of London 2012 and as a board member of the Olympic Delivery Authority. "He was very keen to back a bid provided it was in east London and provided it had a focus on regeneration."
In addition to the Olympic Park venues and Olympic Village units that will be turned into affordable housing, a key component of the east London transformation was transportation improvements with new lines and station upgrades. There are plans for continued additions, enhancing Stratford's new role as a well-connected hub. During the Games, there will be 11 lines that connect to Stratford with one train entering or leaving every 45 seconds to clear crowds from the Olympic Park.
"You go down to Stratford now and you find a transport system that has been transformed, the largest new urban park anywhere in Europe, the largest new shopping center anywhere in Europe," said Hugh Robertson, British Minister for Sport and the Olympics. "So, even if the Olympics did no more than create a new quarter of London, it would have been incredibly successful."
Shira Springer can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Mountainsmith Day
To start with my Mnt. Smith Day pack is probally over 10 yrs. old. It was made in Golden, CO, before they sent all their work offshore. It is not as pretty and came without the bells and whistles of the newer packs but is absolutely bomb proof. You can use it for a school pack as well as a light pack for any outdoor adventure. It is big enough to produce a hot meal, including stove and pot, and still have room for some fleece or a shell.
I was able to carry my wife sitting on top of this pack for about 5 miles in the Great Smoky Mnts when she broke her foot. That is about 110 lbs plus whatever I had in the pack at the time.
The only change I have done to this pack is to put a piece of thicker sleeping pad foam in place of the foam that came with it which makes it carry books and other heavy stuff better. I gave this pack 5 stars because if I'm in the 1000-1200 cubic inch range this pack is with me.
Design: Top loading lumbar
Size: About 1200 Cubic Inches
Number of Pockets: 3
Max. Load Carried: About 120 pounds
Height of Owner: 6 ft. 0 in.
Price Paid: Don't Remember
This pack has become the staple for class-bound college kids looking cool cruising through campus. However, it doesn't mean the pack isn't versatile.
I've carried everything from a full day's gear, including food and water for long day hikes, backcountry ski gear, and even several books and folders on my way to class.
The exterior bungee cord is handy for strapping on a rain jacket or tying down your bike helmet. The huge zipper pulls are easy to find and make the pack more accessible while it's being worn.
Two mesh water bottle holders ride on either side of the pack, which are great for convential bike-style water bottles. Nalgenes don't fit.
The only complaint I've had with this pack is that the waist belt (the only means of attachment) isn't padded. This makes heavy loads seriously painful. There is an accessory shoulder strap that can be used to help offset heavy loads, but it isn't very comfortable either.
The price has come down on these packs as they have become extremely popular... this makes it an even better deal.
Design: Waist pack
Size: 1500?
Number of Pockets: 2 (1 internal, 1 external)
Max. Load Carried: 20lbs
Height of Owner: 6'
Price Paid: $99
I have mixed feelings about the cavernous hip pack. I purchased this specifically for summiting on Colorado's peaks when I needed to hike in--the removable lid on my back pack wasn't large enough. In this application, it will almost carry rain jacket, fleece, gloves, hat, tp, food, and water, it is not comfortable or close to the body when scrambling. When FULLY loaded, it is a bit too tall to cling to your lower back, even after adjusting the straps. It is a bit too tall for a hip belt pack. It does not stay close to the body with movement. It is not only hopeless but stupid to try to carry an ice axe sideways on the top of this pack. In a day long application this thing is not my idea of a pack. It is great for shorter hikes with fair weather loads, touring through city streets, school and many other applications. Construction and features are excellent. Haven't had the comfort problems others have noted regarding the unpadded hipbelt.
Design: top load
Size: 1500+
Number of Pockets: 4+
Max. Load Carried: 15lbs
Height of Owner: 5'9"
Price Paid: $60 on sale
Moutainsmith makes a big line of "lumbar packs" that fit in the small of your back. They are good for carrying lighter loads for active sports because they hug your back and keep the weight close to your center of gravity. The belt goes higher than a regular pack belt, around your waist. This can be inconvinient, especially when hiking with a full bladder ('nuff said).
I have found it to be OK for light loads, but they market it as a daypack and it really can't handle the weight of water, jacket, etc for a day hike. They make a padded belt you can add (for another 20 bucks or so) to make heavier loads a little more comfortable.
I have found that it doubles well for carrying books (the belt hides away and it has a shoulder strap) and especially convinient for carrying a laptop computer through an airport (leaves your hands free for luggage), but for dayhikes I have to stick with a standard daypack (I love my Jandd).
Design: Lumbar Pack
Size: ~1700
Number of Pockets: 3
Max. Load Carried: 13lbs
Height of Owner: 5'11 (torso: 19")
Price Paid: ~$70
I just bought my second day pack. I had my first for about 10 years and had no problems. It went through college as a book bag and many hiking trips, day trips, traveling across the country, and works great as a motorcycle bag.
I thought I had it loaded down when i hiked the Grand Canyon down and up same day, but my buddy got dehydrated, so I wound up carrying all of his stuff. between both of our stuff I had well over a gallon of water, snacks, extra clothing etc. The pack can handle much more than one would think.
I would highly recommend this to anyone. I was riding a motorcycle with my last one and to my own fault it got caught up in the chain and tore a few holes in it. If it weren't for that I would still be using it. Now my friend uses it as a diaper bag. Great product.
Number of Pockets: 3
Max. Load Carried: 30-35 lbs
Height of Owner: 5'9"
Price Paid: $50
A grab-and-go pack good for travelers that want space for minimum safety items, plus all the comfort of a backpack.
- Compact
- Rugged
- Take anywhere
- All types of uses
- Can't swing to business
I've used Mountainsmith products for years and other than sun-damage, these stand the test of time. It fits small and large waists, comfortable and not bulky like other packs. Pulls in tight to the body so one can jump around rocks or chase the kids in the heat of battle. The pack rides so well, it's often forgotten.
Source: bought it new
Price Paid: $60
I bought this pack in 2003 and have not been without it since. I upgraded the shoulder strap to the back-pack style strapettes and that really increased its utility. I carry it daily on my bike commute, and relied on if while hunting elk in Montana, and lugged it to Europe and Sri Lanka.
The red panel is starting to fade now. The little black plastic things that join the bungee cords ends together broke this year but a quick square not recovered 100% utility. I've been quite impressed with the zippers because they have withstood me cramming stupid-big med school books, lunch, and a change of clothes.
I hope that Mountainsmith is still making them when this one dies, but it's giving no indication of dying in the near future.
My only gripe is that I wish there was a rain cover for it.
Price Paid: $80
Super solid design, with plenty of space for my frisbee, books, and bike tools. I added the extra padded waist belt to make it more stable and comfortable, which I highly recommend.
- Great design, solid construction.
- Great warranty!
- Add the padded waistbelt to make it more comfortable!
I've had mine for years — totally bombproof design, and a great warranty, just in case! I bought this bigger bag so I could fit a frisbee, which it does comfortably. They have only continued to improve on the design over the years.
Source: bought it new
Price Paid: $50
I have had this pack for a while now and have never got it to sit right. I used it for school and would always find it giving me a pressure point somewhere around my shoulder blade no matter how I adjusted the straps. It also would never hug my waist, how I feel lumbar packs should, the straps would loosen constantly with each step.
The storage is also integrated very weird, the compression straps run right over where you are supposed to load! I also thought it was a bit weird to have the main strap on the backside of the bag, which allows your load to kind of slump out and drag you down.
I'm not happy with it, I don't recommend it, something from timbuk2 would be a better investment.
Update: February 1, 2011
I redact my earlier comment as far as Mountainsmith making a bad bag. I have since taken the advice of another reviewer and bought the strapettes instead of using it messenger style and I am in love with it!!!
It was never an issue of cargo space, just how it rode, but now with the strapettes it is seriously my comfiest bag! I feel bad that my others won't get used as much anymore.
So if you are going to invest in this bag awesome! DO NOT use it as a messenger, spend the extra cha-ching and buy the strapettes.
Price Paid: $25 for strapettes
Excellent pack. Used for commuting and then for day hikes. Fits two 32oz Nalgenes nicely, room for flleece jacket, gloves, hat, snacks with room to spare.
If you use it for a day pack often, get the strapettes accessory. It allows this pack to be carried backpack-style for a much more comfortable ride and heavier loads.
Size: 1000 cu in I think, plenty for a day hike
Number of Pockets: 3
Height of Owner: 6'2"
Price Paid: $59
I've used mine daily for 14 years. Bike riding, camping, hiking, hiked the Grand Canyon, graduate school, two kids, I don't leave home without it. It was expensive when I bought it, but has been worth every dollar.
Design: Day Waist Pack
Size: 1150
Number of Pockets: 3
Max. Load Carried: 40 pounds
Height of Owner: 68"
Price Paid: $75
Just too awesome prefect for a day hike. If you need bigger get bigger, but if it fits this is the pack I use.
Size: 1000
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MSRP: $80.00 Current Retail: $89.95-$99.95 Historic Range: $33.73-$99.95 Reviewers Paid: $50.00-$99.00 |


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Lindsay Lohan -- Rolling In Money
Lindsay Lohan Rolling in $$$$$
Lindsay Lohan was flat broke at the time she was sentenced last year in her shoplifting case, but things have changed dramatically, because we've learned she'll rake in more than $2 million this year.
Sources directly involved in Lindsay's finances have given us the breakdown:
-- Playboy (December issue but she was paid in 2012) $1 Million
-- "Liz and Dick" Lifetime movie -- $300,000
-- "The Canyons" -- $6,480 (scale)
-- "Scary Movie" (Lindsay is about to sign on) -- $200,000
In addition, Lindsay was paid for her appearance on "Glee." And she's pulling in money for being the face of Philipp Plein. But wait, there's more. Lindsay is also getting $$$ for endorsing Jag Jeans. And she makes $2,000 -- $10,000 per tweet endorsement for several companies.
Our sources say, all tolled, Lindsay will make north of $2 million this year.
The way we see it, definitely enough to afford a driver.